I am glad you are visiting our page and considering psychotherapy. That is a big step and requires a lot of courage. Perhaps you may have been in therapy in the past and either had good experiences or mixed experiences. Again, congratulations for having the willingness to try again, persist, and work on addressing your struggles. Good therapy requires effort, commitment to growth and change inside and outside the therapy room, and with some time can yield rewarding results. Let’s get to work and help you to further help yourself!
My interest is to work with you to learn how to:
- Develop more happiness
- Reduce life's suffering
- Overcome unhelpful thinking patterns, beliefs, and behaviors, and
- Create more vitality and meaning for your life.
I find that the clients that work well with me want more than a sterile, clinical experience. They want professionalism with warmth and humor as part of their therapy. They are also those willing to work and do what's necessary to experience the changes they desire. Of course, they expect that of me as well, and are willing and ready to set goals to improve their experiences in life.
Emotional pain is often silent and invisible. I understand this and I practice in a comfortable and respectful manner using reliable and scientifically sound therapy strategies delivered in a human way. I am a well-trained and experienced Ph.D. level Psychologist.
Though I have a general practice and treat a wide range of mental health difficulties, I have special interest in helping those with anxiety who do not want their lives limited by the attention-grabbing and life-limiting consequences of anxiety. Learn how to understand underlying mechanism of your anxiety, recognize maladaptive or unhelpful beliefs, thoughts, expectations that contribute to your anxiety. Learn tools to better manage the intensity of the physiological response to your anxiety. And broaden your range of living in accordance to what you want for your life which is often limited by anxiety and related avoidance.
I work with women and men and am sensitive to experiences unique to each. I have a special interest and related experience in working on men’s issues through my 18 years of practice. Often, but not always men are more prone to anger and irritability as they have been taught to suppress many other emotions that can give a feeling of vulnerability such as hurt, fear, sadness, and anxiety. Men can have some specific trouble with relationship issues surrounding intimacy and affection (vulnerability) and may show affection in ways that their partners may experience as distancing. Men may have their unique difficulties in adjusting to life transitions such as marriage, fatherhood, and retirement. Also, sexual issues may be of issue which can be affected by psychological and/or life-style factors and contribute to performance anxiety, etc..
I have a certification as an Anger Treatment Professional. So, I have specific training and certification in helping individuals better manage anger and irritability.
As a psychologist, something that sets us apart from other mental health treatment professionals is that we are trained in psychological assessment using psychological testing. I provide psychological evaluations with testing for diagnostic clarification, attention deficit disorder, neuropsychological screening for suspected cognitive decline, and dangerousness risk assessments. I have experience in providing fitness for duty evaluations, lethal weapons psychological clearances for employment, and I have experience with forensic assessment.
I am married and have 2 children. I have lived in the DC metro area, South Florida, and Pennsylvania. I have a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Brigham Young University (2001), and a BA in Psychology from George Mason University. I have been in private practice for 18 years with a varied and robust practice of clients with whom I have had the privilege to help. I have also been a partner for 16 years in a large multi-disciplinary practice and love working with others and helping their experiences in the work place be more positive and rewarding.
I look forward to hearing from you and having the opportunity to help.